Start to build your habits
“Just do it” — Nike slogan
Quoting from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, it’s written that “Success is the product of daily habits — not once-in-a-lifetime transformations”. This means that success is born out of what we call habits and is part of an evolutionary, gradual process. Building a habit naturally requires time and consistency. I’ve heard that doing an activity continuously for 21 days will eventually make it a habit.
However, forming such habits is not easy. There are many challenges that, without us realizing it, will distract from this ‘struggle for transition.’ Of course, it’s easier for us to do nothing than to do something. We tend to spend time with our gadgets, lazing around in bed all day, and trying to enjoy life in the same old ways. While such behavior isn’t necessarily wrong, as everyone has their own way of recharging after activities, it shouldn’t be the primary solution to being unproductive.
Nowadays, people tend to think more pragmatically in their daily lives. So, when they find a loophole, they will have an answer and perspective to justify what they are doing. Unfortunately, this is done massively by people all over the world, as society has made this a common culture.
It’s very easy to lift and destroy someone’s feelings. When we understand this, we must learn how to control those feelings by addressing the psychological aspects. This also applies to ourselves. Remember, only we truly know ourselves. Knowing what we want and need to do is part of being an adult. Being an adult means we are ready for all the causes and effects. Every day we are faced with choices and must choose and accept the consequences later. It all starts with how we align our thoughts to harmonize with a good daily routine. Then, without realizing it, we will achieve our previous goals.
Taking time to read a book, showering early, do sport, enjoying a cup of coffee, hanging out with friends, and many other activities can help build a positive mood. However, some of us might prefer to spend the entire day on our phones, delving into the virtual world, which might make us less productive. It’s possible that this behavior will become a new habit for us, as part of the ‘modern human trend.’ It seems we forget that there are many other ways to restore the energy drained by work or daily routines. Our gadgets have become the closest form of alternative to ‘healing’, even though this habit can have significantly negative impacts. Haven’t we already felt that our anxiety levels rise when we’re away from our gadgets?
So, what does a habit truly mean? A habit means something that you do often and regularly, sometimes without knowing that you are doing it. From this definition, it’s implied that habits need to be created consciously. Even though sometimes we don’t realize that the things we do form patterns that become our habits. What we eat, sitting in the toilet for long periods reading books or newspapers, smoking, consuming alcohol, exercising — these are our daily activities that we do repetitively, each bringing its own impact on us.
Just like when I realized that I could get inspiration simply from sitting on the toilet and enjoying ‘the moment’ or by reading an article. This multitasking activity has pragmatically been replaced by gadgets, which allow users to explore many things. Including myself, who got caught up in that flow. Gradually, starting from that simple activity, it creates an addictive effect that makes us use our gadgets continuously.
If we go back to the premise that life is about choices, it might sound cliché. But we need to believe in something that we need to do regardless of our surroundings. What we need to delve into is how we can understand ourselves without being influenced by things that can harm us. The principle of sowing and reaping implies that what we do now will have an impact in the future, even if we don’t know when.
Activities like writing, reading, and conversing are some things we can do to stimulate brain function and influence our habits, rather than just diving into ideas and habits that will never stimulate us to restore our true human patterns.
